5 Most Common Pest Bird Species

The UK is home to a wide number of bird varieties – from the common sparrow to great birds of prey and majestic owls. We feed beautifully-coloured gold finches and blue tits in our gardens and we might see a rarer sighting of a wide wingspan across the sky in the Lake District and Scotland, but we’re also home to pest birds – and these are rife in number.

#1. Feral Pigeons

Trafalgar Square has them in abundance, appearing in cities and towns up and down the country making a mess anywhere they can, roosting in train stations and under bridges and loitering around fast-food places and rubbish bins.

Pigeons are very common in the UK, breeding around 2-3 times per year.

#2. Seagulls

Despite their name, seagulls are also quite commonly seen inland, though seagulls on the coast are larger (due to the better diets they have). Seagulls are quite confident for a bird – they won’t think twice about stealing your food right from your hands!

#3. Starlings

Starlings are more common in rural areas where they can destroy crops. They also flock to cities, and though the population is lower than other pest birds in busier areas, their faeces are the perfect breeding ground for pathogens that can be fatal to humans.

#4. Wood Pigeons

Bigger and fewer in number than the feral pigeon, wood pigeons appear in rural areas and towns, but are also known to visit cities too. They are a boisterous species and will often be first to bird feeders and tables in gardens, forcing other bird species to roost and feed elsewhere.

#5. House Sparrows

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 means that house sparrows cannot be controlled in the same way as other pest bird species in the UK. Sparrows are very common in gardens in towns and cities, but their nesting sites can often leave behind debris and attract insects.